Alvarez speaks to Jaguars' Tucker, who isn't interested for now

Madison - Mel Tucker, who played defensive back at Wisconsin and is currently the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, told reporters Monday he has spoken with UW athletic director Barry Alvarez about the Badgers' vacant head-coaching position.

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I would be nice if this search could be conducted with as little publicity as possible. When people start saying they've declined, it becomes a more difficult task to land a winner. How excited should the fifth or sixth asked candidate be, and how excited should the fans be knowing they're getting the fifth or sixth choice?

I think part of this is due diligence. An NFL coach drawing NFL pay who is having success and getting a reputation at that level is not likely to give that up to coach college. Not always, but not likely. So, at the end of the day when Barry A makes his choice he can look the alumni in the eye and say: "Hey, I called Tucker and he wasn't interested. I called Bevell and he is good where he is, etc, etc.

I think you have it, eddie. I've heard coaches say that being an NFL assistant is one of the best jobs in football. Good pay, no recruiting, just able to coach. I'm sure the recruiting grind keeps a lot of guys in the pros and not at college jobs.